we can argue about whether or not the impact of sandy was or was not calculated. it is an undeniable the trajectory is positive. the one thing i think everyone you will speak to i believe is that there is a sense that if we can reach and act like adults and reach an agreement here on the fiscal cliff, the upside is much higher even than the downside is if we don't. that is what we should be looking forward to. we should do that now. think of how many people out there making a judgment of whether or not they will spend another $300 on christmas gifts if they think next month they are going to have $260 less in their paycheck. thank you all very much. thank you all. good luck to you. good luck. thank you. than kyou k you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> this past thursday, south carolina and senator jim demint announced he is retiring from the senate. his colleague and fellow south carolina senator lindsey graham pay him tribute on the senate floor. >> madam president, i met with jim